Companions Again?
by Mchelle
Summary: [Companions of the Night Fic] It's been a few years since Kerry last saw Ethan. Now he's suddenly back...why? NEW PEN NAME, SAME AUTHOR.
1. Default Chapter

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A/N: Ok, this is my first attempt at a fanfic, and I hope you enjoy it! I've loved this book ever since I read it, and I just thought I'd try my hand at explaining what _might_ have happened AFTER the story ended. 

I have a basic idea of where I want this to go, but if nobody seems to like it, then I think I'll just let it go. The motivation would just be gone…^^;;

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Disclaimer: I don't own Kerry or Ethan, or anything really, they all belong to the wonderful V.V.V.! Vivian Vande Velde. All I own are the plot of this story, a computer, some bagels, and a six-pack of Pepsi. I suppose you could sue for the Pepsi, but it's not even cold, so I wouldn't bother. 

Flames will be used to toast my bagels. ^.^

On with the Story!

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This was all Ethan's Fault.

Somewhere out there, a packet of instant hot chocolate was being neglected and it was all Ethan's fault. Or at least, in the eyes of one Kerry Nowicki it was. 

Yesterday, she had been perfectly fine. Everything was normal and predictable…_and boring_. She had to admit that. It _was_ boring. 

Still, she considered it rather rude for someone to suddenly show up and kidnap you. Well, kidnap wasn't really the word. She believed "take over" was a better phrase. However it didn't seem to matter a whole heck of a lot what she thought. It apparently didn't make a difference to Ethan. _Michel_ she corrected herself for the nth time. It was no use, no matter what his name was; Kerry could never see him as anything other than _Ethan_. She suspected that the name was burned into her brain. He didn't seem to mind her calling him that. Or at least he didn't say anything.

Kerry couldn't believe that little more than 24 hours ago she had been Ethan-free. She couldn't say that she was really _happy_ to see him. More surprised really. The last time she had seen him was a couple years ago. Kerry might have been tempted to think it was all a dream – that's how hazy it all seemed – but the newspaper clippings and her own family's memory of being kidnapped proved that _something_ at least had happened. 

She was supposed to be on Christmas vacation now. This was supposed to be a holiday for her. Especially since she was able to get away from her father and bratty brother, Nick. They had gone to visit her uncle for Christmas. Kerry was 18 now, and she didn't exactly feel thrilled to see her Uncle Frank. Or, for that matter, her cousins Tom and Craig. They seemed to fall under the typical rule that any male relative, young or old _must_ be excessively annoying. After much begging and pleading on her part, her father had given in and allowed her to stay home on her own. Which she took as a blessing in itself.

Of course, _now_ she was having second thoughts. 

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Where are we going anyway? She wondered, glancing around. With nothing better to do, since Ethan had suddenly come down with a severe case of _selective hearing_, she returned to her thoughts. Unless she wanted to throw herself from the car (not that she would be able to get away, even if she wanted to) she had little choice but to sit there and _deal_.

Kerry wasn't afraid of him. Not really anyway. He knew that she wouldn't spill his "secret", so he had no reason to…. _silence_ her she reasoned. _But he _is_ a vampire _she acknowledged. In truth, he could do anything he wanted and she wouldn't be able to do much to stop him even if she wanted to. That thought made her shiver. _I have to remember that_ she told herself. _I've been getting too comfortable around him_. 

Kerry brought her legs up into her seat, and wrapped her arms around her knees. Still, she wasn't afraid of him. Not yet anyway. In fact, she was very irritated with said vampire. She hadn't even had a chance to go _home_ after leaving the theater. All she had was everything in the small bag that she had brought out with her: Money, a few napkins, coupons, a watch, a little makeup, gum, and a small notebook, along with some other random objects stuffed hastily into the purse for no apparent reason. 

She had gone out to watch a movie, mainly because being cooped up in the house all day was not exactly her idea of _fun_. It wasn't a date, she didn't go with anyone. It was just the popcorn and her. Come to think of it, she hadn't had a date in a long time, a very long time. Kerry found most of the opposite sex to be pretty dull – not to mention that the only guys that seemed interested in her were usually pretty shallow, and just plain stupid. She wouldn't allow herself to acknowledge the truth. That she really had just been comparing all of those guys with Ethan. Of course none of them would ever match up with a _vampire_, one who's been around for God knows how long, so of course he'd be incredibly intelligent and graceful. It didn't help that he was gorgeous too. It was hopeless comparing those guys to him, which was probably why she never let herself realize what she was actually doing. Besides, the excuse that she had come up with, that men were just plain idiots, with was much more fun to think about. 

After the movie – which happened to be a comedy – Kerry had been walking back down the street towards where she parked her car, a little blue beetle that she was particularly proud of, since she had worked hard to pay for over half the expenses. Even though she was in a good mood, she couldn't wait to get home. The thought of a cup of hot chocolate was on her mind. So of course her reflexes would have been slowed. Which meant that when someone came up behind her and pulled her into an alley, it took longer for the situation to process in her head. By the time it finally occurred to her what was happening and that she should probably scream for help it would have been too late… 

…of course that all would have been _if_ her "attacker" had planned to hurt her. 


	2. You're no fun

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A/N: Alright, here's the next part! I had a lot of fun writing the dialogue in this chapter. This one's kinda short, but there's more coming! 

Hope you like it. J 

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Disclaimer: Not mine. (If you want a more thorough disclaimer see the first chapter)

Read on…if you dare! Muahahaha!…ok, no really…read on…please?

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…of course that all would have been if her "attacker" had planned to hurt her.

As it was, Ethan just laughed at her, grabbed her keys and led her back out of the alley and towards her car. 

"You really ought to pay more attention," he said to her, "I could have been a real mugger or an escaped convict, or even worse…"

It was that moment that Kerry chose to snap out of it. Unfortunately, it was also the moment that Ethan shoved her into the passenger seat of her car and shut the door. _I should lock him out_ was the first complete thought that Kerry could muster. But that was just ridiculous, _he_ had the keys. Before she could think of another sneaky plan he was in the car and starting it. All of this had happened so quickly that she was still shocked. As Ethan was pulling out, it finally sunk in.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Well, if you must know, right now I am attempting to pull into traffic." Ethan answered without even glancing at her. He was still watching the road. She just stared at him. Kerry hadn't seen him in two years. Now all of a sudden he was popping up out of nowhere and taking over again as if they'd never separated. 

"What…Where…How…Why…. Ethan!!" Kerry managed intelligently. The car easily pulled out onto the road. It hadn't occurred to her at that time to try to figure out where they were going. She was still too shocked to do anything other than sit there. Ethan finally turned to look at her. Other than the fact that he was completely healed, he looked exactly as he had the last time she saw him. It was the same old Ethan. 

The questioning look she was getting from him now seemed to be the only reply she was going to get, until he turned back to the road and answered her with a simple:

"Long time, no see huh?" Kerry could tell he was grinning.

"I'll say." She managed. Then a few seconds later, "Why are you here Ethan?" 

"I can't come to see a good friend?" he asked in an innocent voice.

"Not when you use that voice you can't" Kerry answered moodily. 

"Oh, alright then." He said smirking. They continued on in silence for a while. Finally Kerry got fed up with his lack of answers.

"Well??"

"Well what?" 

"Since it's obviously not because you feel we need to 'catch up', why _are_ you here?" she was getting annoyed now.

"You seem to be in a hostile mood." he informed her cheerfully. _And you seem to be in a very good mood…_

"Well it's not everyday that I get the privilege of a vampire visiting me, so I'd like to know what the special occasion is" She shot back, scowling. She still wanted her mug of hot chocolate.

"If you keep frowning like that your face could get stuck that way you know." He helpfully told her without even glancing her way.

"Well, aren't you a fountain of information," she replied. Ethan grinned at her. "Why are you so _happy_?" Kerry spat.

"Ya know, I'm starting to remember just how much I enjoyed your company." He was still grinning. This just annoyed her more.

"Gosh, I'm so _glad_ to be a source of amusement." She said sarcastically. Ethan flashed a smile at her and flicked on the radio. 

"Hey, I love this song!" he cried. Then he started singing along being purposely loud and obnoxious. Kerry put up with it until he started taking his hands off the wheel and dancing in his seat.

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"You're no fun. Remind me to never take you on a road trip." Ethan complained happily after she'd shut the radio off and yelled at him for driving dangerously. She swatted his arm.

"Hey! Don't hit the driver! So much for your 'dangerous driving'" he mock pouted. Kerry sighed in frustration. He was impossible when he was like this.

"Where are we going?" Maybe she could at least figure that out. Unfortunately, Ethan had suddenly been struck deaf. _Of course_ she thought rolling her eyes. The scenery didn't look familiar. She should have been paying more attention when they were leaving the city, but she was too distracted. Kerry leaned her forehead against the window and stared off into the darkness.

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That's it for now. I hope [again] that you liked it. 

R&R! Pretty Please?


	3. Kidnapped, Kinda

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A/N: Wow, Been awhile huh? Sorry about the looooong wait. ^^; The creative juices weren't really flowing. I had an idea originally of where I wanted this to go….but I changed it, and lo and behold, that causes problems when trying to continue the story…what that means? The couple months of nothing you guys were getting, Sorry!

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Disclaimer: Don't Own. (See first chapter for better disclaimer) 

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Ps: I tried to make this one a little longer.

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The slamming of the car door woke Kerry up. She hadn't even realized that she had fallen asleep. _He better have not made me fall asleep again…_ she thought, glaring outside in the direction she supposed he must have taken. _Wait….where did he go?_ Glancing out through all the windows and still not seeing any sign of him she began to worry. Cautiously, she opened her door and stepped outside. By now it had gotten really dark, and there weren't any streetlights around to help light the area.

"Ethan…?" She called out softly. Kerry had no idea where she was, _and_ it was dark. She started to feel angry. _How could he drive all the way out here, and then _leave_ me?! _

It was just like him, she thought, to bring her out here where she couldn't see anything and leave her. She was reluctant to walk around and look for him because she was afraid of falling down and breaking her neck in the darkness. The thought that maybe that was the _point_ crossed her mind. Maybe Ethan didn't want her wandering around or following him, so he brought her to a place where she had little choice but to stay put. Obviously the little car light wouldn't do anything for her, and she didn't want to attract _unwanted_ attention. She couldn't even drive away because Ethan had the keys. 

Yet…something didn't make sense. If he didn't want her to follow him, then _why_ did he bring her here in the first place? Why bother? She was sure he could've found some other form of transportation to get here, so it wasn't her car.

Kerry shook her head. It was too much of a headache to think about it. She toyed with the idea of getting back in the car and just waiting for him to come back, _if_ he came back, but knew that her curiosity would never let her do that. Looking around again, she took one small step away from the car….

…. Nothing. Kerry wasn't sure what she expected. Probably that she would fall into a deep hole, or set off a trap that would kill her instantly. Feeling more confidant, now that she was sure she wasn't dead or maimed, she took another, larger step…

…Right into a tree. Kerry mentally screamed in frustration. It was so dark she couldn't see a tree barely two steps in front of her! Turning to her left, careful to remember which way the car was, Kerry started off again. She had gotten a good eight steps away this time before she ran into something.

__

Another stupid tree she thought. She decided on going left again, not wanting to get too far away from the car, but before she could resume her blind wanderings, the "tree" grabbed her. 

Kerry's eyes widened and she opened her mouth for a scream but nothing came out. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice was saying _Oh, not again!_ The rest of her mind froze, and all she could think about was that she _was_ going die this time. For all she knew, this was a vampire hideout, and Ethan had brought her here as an offering. 

Her creative mind had already started to imagine all kinds of gruesome deaths…but nothing happened. She was still alive as far as she could tell. Kerry felt a little better about that at least. 

Then she actually _looked_ at the "tree". Squinting her eyes didn't really help, it was too dark, but she had decided that it definitely was a person. 

"Ethan?" she asked cautiously. The person-tree laughed softly. It was Ethan. Suddenly she felt extremely annoyed with him. "Ethan, where are we, and _why_?"

She was expecting him to ignore her again and walk off. Maybe give an order for her to stay in the car until he got back, but he did no such thing. Instead he leaned down and rested his forehead against hers. His skin felt cold as always, but this time it didn't bother her as much. It even felt refreshing. She could feel her annoyance draining away.

"Kerry," Ethan said, "we aren't that far from Brockport. On a little hill overlooking it actually."

She just stared. That was the most information she had gotten out of him so far. 

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On a hill overlooking Brockport…she tried to figure out a reason to be there, but came up with nothing, and it seemed that _that_ was all that Ethan was willing to tell her at the moment. The thought of asking "why" again, just to see if that had any affect, crossed her mind. As if he knew what she was thinking, Ethan sighed. His cool breath washed over her face. 

Suddenly, he was no longer in front of her, but beside her. He took her hand and began walking determinedly in one direction, dragging her along with him. Kerry was practically blind in the darkness, but she knew he could probably see perfectly. Although she knew they weren't that far from the car, Kerry was sure that if he were to leave her now, she'd never find her way back till sunrise, and even if she _did_ manage it….he still had her keys.

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After a few minutes, which Kerry spent being very confused, Ethan stopped walking. He then proceeded to sit on a conveniently placed log, and pulled her down beside him. 

From her seat on the log, Kerry could see what she knew had to be Brockport. The city was aglow with all of its lighted buildings, and she could see the tiny dots that were cars moving through it. She didn't have much time to contemplate the sight before Ethan snatched her hand again and started playing with her fingers. He suddenly seemed nervous, and she couldn't for the life of her imagine what he could have to be nervous about. She couldn't remember ever seeing him act like this. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke, but it was so soft that Kerry barely heard him.

"I think I might have changed my mind."

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Yes! I updated!!

I just gotta say that I couldn't have done it without all the people nagging me about it. 

Kudos to you. Really. :)

R&R? 


	4. A straight answer

Ho-dang. No, it's not possible! Too good to be true! Yes, it's true...I...have updated! Dun Dun DUNNN

'Bout time eh :D

Now, this is just a short blurb, more serious than the first 3 I think. I think my writing style has changed since my last update...course that was 2 years ago...so it's understandable, right? Hope it's not so different that it turns some of you away from the story!

Anyway, just try it out. See how it works for you.

Standard disclaimers apply. ;)

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_"I think I may have changed my mind."_

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_Man it's cold out here_._** I think... **Brockport looks nice though. **changed my mind... **This must be a lookout point. **changed...mind... **But why don't I know about it? **changed...** What was he saying again? ... **I think I may have changed my mind.** _

Kerry blinked.

"Excuse me?"

Ethan sighed.

"Kerry, I'm thinking about changing back. If you remember, I told you it was possible. It's not pretty, but it's pos--"

Kerry stopped listening. Ethan kept talking. _what is he saying? He wants to be human again? ... oh my god..._

"Ethan." Kerry stopped his ramblings. "Why did you come to me?"

Now it was Ethan's turn to blink. "well...I thought...maybe..." he trailed off.

Kerry waited. It was rare to see Ethan like this. Despite the seriousness of the situation, she had to enjoy it. Just a little bit.

He took a deep breath. "Kerry, I came to you because I thought that you could help me. It's a painful process, and...well, it's been a while since I've been in the human world...in the sunlight."

A ha. Finally a straight answer. Ethan had stopped talking, but he didn't look like he said everything he'd wanted to.She waited longer.

"Actually, to tell the truth...I hadn't actually been sure until tonight that I truly did want to change."

"But you are now?"

"...I think so."

The enormity of the situation suddenly hit Kerry. Wide-eyed, she sat back on the log and stared out at the glittering Brockport. Human. Ethan would be human. He could walk in the sun, get a tan, drink coffee...he'd be warm...and alive. And he'd be with her. Maybe she wouldn't have to deal with all those "idiots" anymore, maybe-- but wait. There were other things to think about! Besides, there's no saying that Ethan would want to stick around after he became human anyway. For all she knew he was lying again and only wanted to use her until he was ready to face the world once more. He'd probably split afterwards...

Still...

"What needs to happen? What do you want me to do?"

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

WOW. Would you look at that? An update! Only about two years late. ;;

Thanks to reviewers like you guys of course. I had no idea that many people were waiting for this story. I'm sorry! I hate it when people don't update!

Anyway, this is a short blurb. Really short..just to let you all know I haven't died.

Just spewed it out real quick. Figures...after 2 years of writer's block eh?

I'm getting an idea again of how to pan this story out. Hopefully it will. lol

Hope my writing style hasn't changed too much. I'm sure it's matured since I last updated. rolls eyes

Tell me what you think.


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